DramaPanda: The drama adaptation of Monkey King 3 begins filming

After almost a year of pre-production work, The Monkey King: The Land of the Many Perfumes 西游记女儿国 held its opening ceremonies on June 20 in Guangxi, China attended by Neo Hou Minghao and Owodog Ao Quan from the Taiwanese Mandopop boyband Lollipop F. Leading lady Bai Lu couldn't make it due to flight timing issues.   

You may have wondered why the concept bears an uncanny resemblance to the upcoming movie of the same name starring Aaron Kwok, Feng Shao Feng and Zhao Li Ying. As it turns out, the connection is intentional as the drama has secured exclusive rights from the movie. 

I'm thinking that they must really be banking on the surefire success of Monkey King to springboard another drama off a movie that hasn't even aired, and I hope for their sakes that they're right. The movie is expected to premiere on Lunar New Year (Feb. 16, 2018) while the drama is expected to premiere on the 10th day of the New Year (Feb. 25, 2018). 

Source: Official Weibo